NGO Conference in Tokyo on the Reconstruction
of Afghanistan
December 11 - 13, 2001
Toshi Center Hotel and Akasaka Hotel
Tokyo, Japan
We, Afghan and Japanese non-governmental
organizations (NGO) and civil voluntary organizations (CVO) have gathered
in Tokyo from 11-13, December, 2001 and have drafted the following appeal
concerning the need and voices of Afghans for the reconstruction process
in Afghanistan. This appeal is the result of three days of meeting and
consultation between the NGO actors from Japan and Afghanistan in separate
and joint meetings discussing the sectoral and regional issues.
Japanese NGOs have contributed across the globe to bring stability to war-torn and impoverished nations and regions. A basic principle pursued is to allow the voices of the local actors guide socio-economic reconstruction. Nevertheless, during the emergency relief and reconstruction efforts in collapsed states or so-called failed states, such as East Timor and Kosovo, Japanese NGOs have often witnessed reconstruction planning and implementation led by international agencies. The local bodies, those most affected by such programs, were either sitting in the back seat rows of conferences for national reconstruction or not even invited. All parties concerned must consciously avoid repeating this situation in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
We believe that the Afghan NGOs, as part of the civil society, should be actively involved and contribute to the national reconstruction initiatives. Any plans developed out of their involvement, contribution and cultural knowledge could lack coherence at the time of implementation of the programs in Afghanistan. A concern has been expressed on counter outcomes of the early short-term emergency-relief assistance phase, resulted from limited understanding of the Afghan community in the past.
Afghanistan needs a long-term and sustained donor commitment for its future reconstruction and development. The Afghan NGOs with more than 13 years experience have worked under problematic working environment and insufficient funding, have nevertheless proved to be a major partner and a vital resource.
Taking this reality into account, the Japanese NGOs, CVOs and private foundations convened the "NGO Conference in Tokyo on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan,"in the hope of laying a solid foundation as a first step towards a comprehensive and inclusive reconstruction plan. Based on this phenomenon, we hope that the conference is a suitable platform where donors, especially the Japanese government, can hear the indigenous voices of the Afghan NGOs and CVOs and develop concrete mechanisms for international partnerships in the reconstruction of the country.
The participants of the conference agreed the following seven points should be disseminated to the International Conferences on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan which will be held in Tokyo, Brussels or any others places next year to increase the visibility of the grass-roots priority needs.
1. Role of the Afghan NGOs in leading the reconstruction process
We realize that in the post-conflict stage of Afghanistan the CVOs are emerging and they should be supported to play a leading role and facilitate participation of proficient and qualified exiled Afghans. The next step is to establish mutual partnership relationship and cooperation between the Afghan NGOs and the internationals. As a locally inspired agenda emerges, the role of the private sector becomes more important in the reconstruction process. Rounding out this picture is assuring the free flow of people and labor. As this step-by-step process of national reconstruction unfolds, again, we must emphasize that the Afghan NGOs need support and assistance, not others' leadership, to overcome the new challenges.
2. Sustainability of Program and Diversification of Funding sources
The sustainability of program is not about giving huge amount of aid at only one time, but it is about consistent and sustained commitment by partners to support the reconstruction process. And also it is important to obtain not only multilateral fund but also bilateral fund directed to NGOs. That is the diversity of fund.
3. Political Stability
We understand that political instability impede and hamper relief and reconstruction works. Therefore, political stability is necessary to begin and ensure the success of reconstruction. Thus, the international community must not only assist the civil society, but also promote political stability in and around Afghanistan.
4. Transparency on decision making of aid policy
Coordination, analysis and planning in the absence of an Afghan voice is partial and hampers the initiatives of local people. Prior to the implementation of reconstruction and rehabilitation programs, an assessment covering all of Afghanistan using indigenous resources and networks needs to be conducted. The assessments should reflect the voice of the Afghan people and empower the Afghan NGOs to take the issues into their own hands.
5. The Myth of Speed
Twenty-three years of war has systematically destroyed the social and economic infrastructure of Afghanistan. Such a sad situation demands a quicker shift, from relief to reconstruction, which might not be experienced in other parts of the worlds. However, we must note that speed at times can undermine fundamental issues leading to unintended consequences. Thus, the current urgency for reconstruction should not surpass the appropriate temporal sequencing of locally developed program initiatives.
6. Scale of Program
A humane resource and skill assessment of people's needs and the capability of existing institutions provide the basic measure for the appropriate size of a program. The mentioned assessment would be a guide to achieve the desirable reconstruct ional and rehabilitation objectives.
7. The Collapsed State Phenomenon
In the prescient words of Professor Ogata, "Afghanistan has been abandoned by the world." But these words echo beyond the Afghanistan issue and resonate with the current fate of the collapsed states in the world. We have learned that the containment of collapsed states can have grave consequences. When these states explode, they can have a devastating impact on the international community, as seen in the case of Afghanistan. Moreover, the growing frequency of its occurrence suggests we need to be more aware of the warning signs. A solution to the Afghanistan case, then, should provide us with another comprehensive model for addressing the needs of other collapsed states in the world.
For the purpose of dealing with complex problems Afghanistan is facing, sectoral and regional working sessions were held respectively on December the 11th and the 12th. In each session, a variety of ideas and proposals to solve these problems were provided. The documents are the essences, which stemmed from the discussions in each session.